Very High Energy Particle Astrophysics with VERITAS

非常能量辐射成像望远镜阵列系统(VERITAS)，位于F.L.惠普尔天文台大本营。亚利桑那州霍普金斯大学正处于一种完全由科学驱动的模式。该阵列由四个成像大气切伦科夫望远镜(IACT)组成，能够观测超过50GeV能量阈值的甚高能量(VHE)伽马射线，以探测整个银河系和银河系外空间的VHE伽马射线的奇异来源，探测源的极端物理，如活动星系核(AGN)、超新星残骸和微类星体的喷射。Veritas处于有利地位，可以补充NASA于2008年6月发射的费米伽马射线太空望远镜，这两个天文台共同提供从数十MeV到数十TeV范围的重叠光谱覆盖。该奖项将在未来三年为这个明尼苏达大学(UMN)团队的VERITAS科学和协作服务努力提供基地支持。该小组将使用高能物理社区开发的先进多变量算法继续开发改进的分析技术。他们的科学分析工作将在包括活动星系核、星暴星系和星系团在内的河外来源的研究中进行，重点是定位blazar中的伽马射线发射源和了解宇宙射线的起源。该小组将继续领导VERITAS的多波长协调工作，特别是将把新的重要的光学偏振测量资源带到blazar发射区的多波长研究中。该团队还将贡献多波长相关性研究，以补充与Veritas获得的TeV数据。更广泛的影响：外联工作有两个组成部分。首先是与密歇根大学已建立的本科生研究经验项目合作，每年夏天积极指导本科生参加与VERITAS相关的项目。第二部分是选择至少一名本科生参加阿德勒天文馆的Veritas EPO计划，该计划从Veritas合作机构招募学生，与阿德勒空间可视化实验室的科学家合作开发伽马射线计算机交互作用。

The Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS), located at the F. L. Whipple Observatory basecamp of Mt. Hopkins, AZ, is in a full science-driven mode. The array consists of four Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs), allowing observations of very-high-energy (VHE) gamma rays above an energy threshold of 50 GeV to detect exotic sources of VHE gamma rays throughout the galaxy and extra-galactic space, probing the extreme physics of sources such as the jets of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), supernova remnants and microquasars. VERITAS is well-positioned to complement the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope launched by NASA in June 2008 where the two observatories together provide overlapping spectral coverage from the tens of MeV to tens of TeV range.This award will provide this University of Minnesota (UMN) group with base support of their VERITAS science and collaboration service efforts over the next three years. The group will continue development of improved analysis techniques using advanced multivariate algorithms developed by the High Energy Physics community. Their scientific analysis efforts will be in studies of extragalactic sources including AGN, starburst galaxies, and galaxy clusters with a focus on locating the source of gamma-ray emission in blazars and understanding the origin of cosmic rays. The group will continue to lead the VERITAS multi-wavelength coordination efforts and, in particular, will bring the new important resource of optical polarimetry to the multi-wavelength study of blazar emission zones. The team will also contribute multiwavelength correlation studies complementing the TeV data obtained with VERITAS. Broader Impact: The outreach effort has two components. The first is to work with the established Research Experiences for Undergraduates program at UMN to actively mentor undergraduates on a VERITAS-related project each summer. The second component is to select at least one undergraduate to participate in the Adler Planetarium's VERITAS EPO program which recruits students from VERITAS collaborating institutions to work with scientists in the Adler's Space Visualization Laboratory to develop gamma-ray computer interactives.